To Trust a Human
by NakrellTakima
Summary: It's hard to trust when you've been betrayed... but maybe not everyone is the same. (Coverpage by zombiechihuahuas13)
1. Chapter 1: The Return

****Note: You could call this a sequel to 'Betrayed', its YEARS later and obviously Dib or Gaz won't be in it… Zim is an adult now… he looks 20 (just remember, it's in Irken years) I hope it's good. There will be an OC in this one…**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: The Return**

The halls were crowded with students. Not all of them were eager to go into their classrooms to gain the knowledge they would need for their future careers. Among those students walked a girl with a bored and depressed look on her face. Her name was Nira and it was her second year of college. She really wasn't looking forward to another day in this college, the only reason she was here was because her father had finally kicked her out.

She walked to her Art class and took the seat on the back left corner next to a window. She brought out a sketch pad, pens, pencils, and markers. Truth be told, this was one of the few classes she actually enjoyed.

As two of her classmates entered, she noticed a particular new guy. Nira tried her best not to stare at him but time after time her eyes were drawn back to him. He was tall, had blue eyes, black hair, and green skin. After a few moments she shook her head and focused on her sketch pad. She wasn't sure what she was going to sketch but it was going to keep her from looking at the new guy.

"Hey, Alien, what are you doing here?" a guy said from across the room.

"Who are you calling an alien, human-larva?"

Nira looked at the new guy, "He wasn't talking to you. He was talking to me."

The bully snorted, "That's right, punk. I wasn't talking to ya, so mind your own business." He laughed and walked out of the classroom to talk to a friend.

"I'm Nira, what's your name?"

"It's Zim."

She smiled and then looked down at her sketch pad. She picked up a pencil and began to sketch something. Zim looked at the human girl for a while; he wanted to know why the other human had called her an 'alien'. It was clear to him that she was human, so why had he used that term? A smirk formed on his face, _'Humans. Heh… still the same pathetic creatures they were back then…' _

The Irken looked around the room and noticed it was only him and the human girl for the time being. Wasn't there anyone else coming to this class? "Hey, uh, human-worm baby…"

She giggled, "Human-worm baby? Wow… I never heard anyone use that expression…"

"Don't you mock me!"

"I'm not… I think it's funny."

Zim just glared at her, "Are there more humans coming in?"

"Oh, yes, plenty more… human-worm babies."

Zim let out a soft hiss. _'How dare she mock me… oh, she'll pay!'_

"So, why did that guy call you alien?"

Nira looked at him, "His name is Mark and he is a racist slug."

"Racist?"

"You know… a bully to a person with a different ethnicity."

Zim shrugged, "Eh, all you earthlings look the same to me."

She looked away, "I figured as much. You've probably only seen this half of the world."

"What do you mean?"

"Zim, I know what you are…"

The Irken felt his heart skip a beat; he began to claw his wooden desk. He rose from his chair and walked towards her, "What do you know?"

Nira didn't look at him, "You're an alien, Zim. An actual—"

He looked around the room to make sure no one was in sight; with the cost clear he placed his hand on Nira's neck and pressed a little, "Listen, human-larva… You say something about me and I will make sure you die first…"

Nira tried to undo Zim's grip but it has useless. The more she tried to pull his hand away from her neck, the more she felt his claws on her flesh. What did she do? Had she said something to upset him? She looked at him, trying her best not to cry. "I'm sorry, Zim…"

He released her, "What?

"I'm sorry if I upset you… I didn't mean to."

He frowned, "You humans are all the same…"

Nira rubbed her neck; she closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Zim anymore. "No we aren't…"

Zim sat on the empty desk beside her, "Yes you are."

The human girl looked back at her sketch pad; her eyes now contained tears she was trying to hold back. She picked up her pencil, "And I thought today could be bearable…"

Before Zim could say anything more humans walked inside the classroom. For the rest of the class, the human girl didn't say a word. And Zim was just eyeing her… he noticed how she constantly rubbed her neck but didn't think much about it.

Class then finally ended and all the students got up and left. Nira picked up her stuff, didn't even put them in her bag and walked out. Zim just stood there, _'She's really terrified… good. She'll learn not to mess with an Irken.'_

****Ok, sooo how was it? I really don't have much faith in it but I hope it wasn't that bad… but if it was, PLEASE! I'm BEGGING YOU…. Don't kill me with harsh comments….****


	2. Chapter 2: Confrontations

****Note: Oook, so the first chapter was actually good… I'm so happy! **

**Chapter 2—Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Confrontations**

Nira walked to her next class without looking around like she always did. Her neck itched and gave off a small shock of pain through her body. She wasn't sure what had made Zim react the way he did, if it had been because she told him she knew he was an alien then she could understand his anger… but the small wounds on her neck had been for something else.

"How's the neck, human-larva?" Zim asked from behind.

Nira turned around, her eyes full of fear. "Please, Zim… don't hurt me again…"

The Irken rolled his eyes, "I asked about your neck."

"I-It's fine…"

"Good…"

Nira turned around and continued to walk to her next class. All Zim did was glare at her from behind. He couldn't stand the fact that yet another human knew he was an actual alien, he couldn't believe that the earth girl wasn't going to tell anyone. She would eventually, he was sure of it.

XXXX

Nira arrived at her second class of the day. By the time she arrived there were already several of her classmates in there, some talking on their phones, others talking to their friends, and some were actually going over the homework assignment from the day before. She took her seat at the far corner of the second row. "Hi, Nira!"

"Hey, Kate."

Kate took her seat beside Nira and began to talk to her. The two of them had been friends since high school and had actually agreed on going to the same college together. As Kate was telling Nira about the drama that a girl had made during her P.E. class, she noticed small sores on Nira's neck.

"Oh My Gosh, Nira! What happened to your neck?"

Nira touched her neck lightly, "Oh, it's nothing."

"Nothing? Nira, you have three open sores…"

"It's nothing, really. Just mosquito bites."

Kate crossed her arms, "Last time I checked, mosquito bites didn't leave someone's neck like that."

"They itched… a lot. I scratched them and opened them…"

"You dupe."

They shared a laugh. Yes, Nira felt a bit of guilt for lying to her friend, and she wasn't lying because Zim scared the living daylights out of her… but because she believed something had happened to him that made him hate humans so much, so she didn't hold it against him. "Hey, who's the new guy?"

Nira rolled her eyes, "There are a lot of new guys who just enrolled. Who are you talking about?"

"The one that won't quit staring at you from the doorway."

Nira turned around, "Zim?"

"His name is Zim? Wow… is he foreign?"

"Yeah…"

The Irken just stared at her; he had been listening to the conversation and was surprised the earthling hadn't told her friend he had been the one who wounded her neck. _'What is this human playing?'_

"Zim!" Kate called, "You in this class?"

He shook his head and walked off.

Kate now had a confused look on her face, "What'd I do?"

"You scared him… like all the other guys."

"Oh haha…"

XXXX

Class ended.

Kate and Nira walked out of class together, "What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm going to fix up my apartment."

Kate gave her a small smile, "Your dad kicked you out?"

"Yeah… but that's the best thing that could happen."

"Really?"

Nira gave her a nod, "Why'd you ask?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to get dinner tonight. But maybe next time."

"Or, you could help me out with my apartment."

"Nah, I'll pass… but you have all my moral support."

Nira laughed, "Gee, thanks."

"Nira."

They stopped. Kate turned, "Hi, Zim."

The Irken ignored her, "Can we talk, Nira?"

Nira turned around and gave him a nod, "I'll see you late, okay?"

"Yeah, sure…" replied Kate as she walked off.

Once Kate was out of sight; Nira walked over to the Irken and told him to follow her. They walked to a student center that was now deserted and sat down at the first table they saw. "Yes?"

"I don't understand you."

"What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you tell your friend the truth about your neck?"

Nira looked at him with surprise and shrugged her shoulders. "Didn't feel like it."

"Why not?"

"Zim, its okay… I told you I wasn't going to tell anyone about you."

He gave her a frown, "I can't trust you."

"I know… and I don't blame you."

"You don't?"

She shook her head, "I figured something must have happened to you. So I don't hold it against you."

Zim couldn't believe what he was hearing, first she looked terrified of him and now she acted like she felt compassion for him. What was this girl playing at? She was going to betray him, he was sure she was. He hit his fist on the table and Nira flinched. "What are you playing at?!"

"I'm not!"

"Don't lie, filthy human!"

"Why would I lie to you? You scare the hell out of me and I don't want to get on your bad side!"

He grinned, "I scare you… good."

"It's not good! I don't know what happened to you but I don't deserve to pay for the crimes of others!"

He frowned, "You humans are not worth my time."

Nira glared at him, "You know something… if you want to hate humans go right ahead! But keep me out of your anger issues!"

She stood up and left the student center.

Zim remained seated. His eyes now burned with fury, his head was telling him to kill the girl, but something stopped him. Maybe it was what she said, that she didn't deserve to pay for the crimes of Dib…

Dib… that filthy human that had betrayed his trust years ago… since then he couldn't trust a human, he couldn't trust anybody.

****Okay, how was it? I really hope it wasn't that bad… if it was, no harsh comments please…****


	3. Chapter 3: Rain

****Note: I'm glad this story isn't so bad…**

**Chapter 3—Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Rain**

Zim walked out of the college building and began to walk home. He thought about what had happened today, what the girl had told him… and she was right. She didn't deserve it, but he couldn't help himself. The feeling of betrayal still made his blood boil, that wasn't something he could easily forget.

As the Irken continued to walk, the sudden sound of lightning made him look up to the sky. _'Oh, this is just perfect…' _he thought. He began to walk faster hoping that the rain didn't catch him. It had been years since he had been on earth; he hadn't seen rain since then and he was sure it still affected him.

XXXX

After a while, Zim came to the door of his new house. This time, he hadn't used his ship to build it. If he had, it would have sent a signal to the Massive and the Tallest would know his whereabouts. As he entered his human-made home his little robot known as GIR ran towards him and jumped on his face.

"Master! Master you are home!"

"I am, now get off me!"

The little robot jumped down and walked towards the living room. Zim closed his door and locked it. He then began to remove his disguise, starting by the wig that made his antennas a bit sore and then the eye contacts that irritated his ruby eyes at times. He threw them on the floor and walked towards the couch. He sat down; his eyes were looking down at the floor.

"What is wrong?" GIR asked.

"Nothing…"

GIR stood on the couch and walked towards his master, "You are sad, master. Why are you so sad?"

"I'm not sad, GIR." Zim replied as he looked at the little robot.

The little robot just stared at him with his tongue hanging out. "I like you…"

Zim let out a sigh, "Yes. I know you do…"

XXXX

About three miles away, Nira entered her apartment completely wet. She closed the door and walked towards the restroom. _'I have to remember to take an umbrella tomorrow.'_

She wrapped her hair in a towel and changed cloths. After she had done that, she headed for the small kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She frowned a little as she looked inside; there were eggs, bacon, cheese, orange juice, mountain dew, and milk.

Rolling her eyes she took out a can of mountain dew and walked towards the living room. She opened the can and stared at the boxes she had to unpack. She let out a sigh and drank her soda. She then walked towards a box labeled "Pictures". Nira set her soda can on the floor, kneeled and opened the box.

Pools of tears formed on her eyes as she looked through an album. She sat on the floor and flipped the pages. Memories, good ones none the less; the time when she and her parents had visited Italy one summer, when they had spent her birthday in England… back when they had been happy.

When her mother had been alive.

Tears began to run down her face as those memories began to flow in her mind. How she wished things were still the same… maybe if her father hadn't remarried, things would be okay.

_*Knock, Knock*_

Wiping her tears, Nira got up from the floor and walked towards the door. She leaned her head on the wooden door and looked through the view hole, "Kate?"

"Are you gonna let me in? It's pouring out here!"

Nira unlocked the door and opened it, "Hey… I thought you weren't coming."

Kate shrugged her shoulders and walked inside, "I figured you'd be starving by now."

Nira closed the door, "What makes you say that?"

"Let's see… oh, you just moved in, you didn't eat today, you don't have a car which is why you moved in so close to the campus, and the nearest grocery store is three miles away."

"Fascinating—"

"Elementary, my dear Nira."

"And you figured that out all on your own?"

Kate glared at her and raised her hand, "I brought Chinese."

"The bathroom is over there," Nira pointed, "dry off while I serve the food."

"Okay." Kate replied as she handed the Chinese food to Nira.

XXXX

"Computer, preform a physical analyzes now!" Zim demanded.

Nothing happened.

"You didn't create a base this time…" GIR said.

The Irken hit his forehead, "Right… old habits are hard to forget."

"Aw, don't be sad Master… I can help you out!"

"How so?"

The little robot just looked at Zim and walked towards the kitchen and returned with a small notebook and a pencil. "Lay down…"

"GIR, I really don't think—"

GIR's eyes became red, "LAY DOWN!"

Surprised at the sudden reaction of his robot, Zim let out a sigh and laid down on the couch. He had an annoyed expression on his face now and was wondering what the little robot had installed for him.

"How do you feel?"

The Irken turned his head towards his minion, "What a stupid question! I told you, I feel fine!"

GIR wrote something down, "You're not being honest!" he said in a high pitch voice.

Zim rose, "GIR!"

"Lay down please."

Glaring at his small robot, the Irken growled and laid down once again, his patience becoming thinner by the minute. "How will this help, GIR?"

"I don't know…"

Zim looked at him as his left eye began to twitch, "You… don't know?"

GIR just nodded.

"Why am I not surprised?"

The little robot just walked towards his master and patted him lightly on the hand, "It's okay, master. You just feel guilty."

"Guilty? Zim never feels guilty for anything he does! NEVER I SAY!"

GIR just stared at him, "I'M GONNA MAKE SOME WAFFLES!"

The Irken just glared at the little robot as he walked towards the kitchen. Zim sat back up and glared down at the floor. Was he feeling guilty? That couldn't be… his race was cold, cruel, calculating… how could he be feeling any remorse? Was it because he was… defective?

His mind went blank. It wasn't _how_ he was feeling remorse; it was _why_ he was feeling it. He was taking out his anger for Dib on an earth girl who had not been even born when it had happened… truth be told; she had been the only one who had been nice to him since he'd return. She didn't know him, so why was she being nice?

What would the Tallest think of him now? They already thought of him as worthless… as a threat… as a mistake that even the Controller Brains couldn't eradicate.

If they knew what he felt right now, they would laugh. But then again, they always had so it wouldn't be anything new…

'_How do I stop this feeling?' _he thought to himself, _'Maybe… I should… NO! I WON'T EVEN CONCIDER IT!'_

XXXX

After ten long minutes Kate finally came out of the bathroom.

"Finally! I thought you had died in there!" Nira said.

Kate walked over to her, "Haha…" she sat down beside her friend, "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"So… why did he kick you out?"

Nira looked down, "I really don't want to talk about it."

Kate just looked at her with pity. She knew how much of a bad relationship Nira and her step-mother had. She just didn't know how bad it had become over the course of the years. "Movie?"

Nira looked at her, "I don't have any."

"It's cool, I brought my own."

Nira smiled, "Are you planning on staying the night?"

"Yes."

Nira laughed, "Fine…" she looked around, "Where's your stuff?"

Kate gave her a smile, "In my car."

****Ooookay… how was it? I really, REALLY hope it wasn't that bad. Well, thanks for reading!****


	4. Chapter 4: Introduction

****Note: Mmk, so I'm happy people like this story! Thank you! **

**Chapter 4—Enjoy! ^_^**

**Chapter 4: Introduction**

The storm finally stopped. The only traces that were left of it were the large puddles of water on the concrete ground and the sounds of small drops of water falling onto cars or puddles. It was around 11:30 p.m. and most of the humans were asleep, and those where usually the elementary students, along with some high school students, and some adults who had to wake up very early the next day.

But somewhere in the neighborhood, two college students spent their night watching movies and enjoying a bag of caramel popcorn.

"Okay, okay… what movie do you want to see next?" Kate asked.

"Which ones do you have left?"

Kate searched through her bag, "Um… well, I have Hamlet, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Ring and Alien vs. Predator."

Nira thought for a moment, "Um… let's watch Hamlet."

"Okay!"

As Kate took out the previous DVD and placed it on its box, Nira took a moment to look towards the nearest window. It was then she noticed how the rain had stopped and that now, all that was left of it were droplets of water that softly hit the glass and made their way down to the stone.

"Kate, do you believe in aliens?"

Kate looked over her shoulder, "What?"

"It just came to mind, sorry."

"Weird question, but I'll answer it."

Nira looked back at her friend as she waited to hear her answer. Now, she just had to come up eith an excuse as why she had asked that.

"I don't."

"No?"

"Nope."

Kate returned to her seat beside Nira and pressed 'play' on the DVD remote, "Do you?"

"Um… yes."

"Cool."

After that, Kate didn't say anything else. They watched the movie, commenting on some scenes and laughing at the ignorance of some characters; and as the movie reached its climax, the girls began to drift away into sleep. Soon, their eyes felt too heavy to continue to watch the movie. They stopped it and walked to Nira's room.

"I'll sleep on the couch." Kate said.

"Um… okay."

"Night Nira."

"Night Kate."

It wasn't long before the two of them fell under the sandman's spell. They slept peacefully, dreaming of the day they'd had or of their most precious memories.

XXXX

The next morning the two friends walked to the campus together. Kate had wanted to drive there but Nira had told her that doing that would be lazy and a waste of gas. Much to Kate's dislike, she agreed on leaving her car but told Nira that if her car got vandalized, she was paying for the damages.

Upon arriving on campus, the friends went their separate ways. Kate went to her Biology class while Nira went to her Art class.

As Nira entered the empty classroom, she felt a small burning sensation on her neck. She rubbed the small wounds as she walked towards her desk and sat down. She brought out her sketch pad, pencils, markers, and some pens and began to draw.

Zim was entering the classroom when he noticed Nira scratching her neck. Rolling his eyes, he entered the classroom and took his seat beside Nira.

"What are you doing?"

Nira flinched and turned towards him, "Zim?"

"I asked you something."

"…. I'm drawing."

"Not that."

Nira closed her sketched pad, placing her pencil inside to hold her place and covered her neck, "I'm scratching my neck."

"Why?"

"It itches…"

The Irken raised an eyebrow, "Let me see."

Nira shook her head.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

With noticeable hesitation, Nira brought her hand down and tilted her head to the side making her neck wounds visible to Zim.

The Irken frowned as he observed them.

"You need antibiotics."

Her eyes grew, "W-What?"

"What did you expect? You scratched them and now they're infected."

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given them to me in the first place!"

Zim remained quiet. She was right; if he hadn't attacked her yesterday she wouldn't need any antibiotics. "About that…"

Nira looked at him curiously.

"I uh… I'm… I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

By now, Nira was speechless and Zim was surprised by his words. He wasn't lying about it, he was actually giving an honest apology and it made him feel… weird. Something he had never felt before… he felt relieved. As if a great deal of weight had been lifted from his body.

"Apology accepted."

The Irken smiled a little.

"Want to start over?"

Zim nodded.

With a smile, Nira stretched out her hand, "I'm Nira."

The Irken grinned and took her hand, "I'm Zim."

"So… can I use any type of antibiotic or does it have to be a certain kind?"

"Any should be fine."

"Okay."

Zim began to tap his desk, "So…?"

"What?"

"You trust me?"

Nira opened her sketch pad, "No."

"Why not?"

"Zim, do _you _trust _me_?"

"No."

She grabbed a pen, "We're barely getting to know each other… give it time."

"And my secret?"

"I'll take it to the grave."

The Irken crossed his arms, "I can't trust you."

"I know…"

He turned towards her, "How do we solve it?"

Nira stopped and looked at him. "If I expose you, you can torture me to your heart's desire."

Her words sent chills down the Irken's spine. She wasn't lying, he could see it in her eyes… but yet, that was a bit far. "Deal."

She gave him a nod and return to drawing.

Zim looked over to her sketch pad, "What are you drawing?"

"A wolf."

"Cool."

It wasn't long before the other students entered the classroom and amongst them was the bully form the day before, Mark.

"The King has arrived!" he announced.

Some of the students laughed while others rolled their eyes.

"He's not bright is he?" Zim whispered.

"Nope." replied Nira.

Mark then looked at them, "Well, if it isn't the two aliens."

They glared at him but decided to ignore him. Nira returned to her wolf drawing and Zim continued to watch her.

The bully began to turn red with anger. Apparently them not paying attention to him, had really ticked him off. He continued to scream at them and began to call them names.

Everyone in the classroom was begging to get aggravated by Mark's screams, and Zim, Zim was very close to losing his temper with the loud human. If it hadn't been for the timely arrival of the Art teacher, Mark would have become something far worst than a failed science experiment.

"Finally. I thought he'd never shut up."

Nira closed her sketch pad, "Same here…"

"What class do you have after this?"

"None. The rest of my classes were cancelled."

"Fun."

Nira just nodded. "You?"

"Chemistry."

"Is it hard?"

"No."

The class went on, and every once in a while Nira and Zim would stop talking and take down notes. The teacher mentioned how their next assignment would consist of either a water painting or a sculpture. Some groaned, others rejoiced, and others didn't show much interest.

"What are you going to do, earth-monkey?"

Nira did her best not to burst out laughing, but couldn't help giggle a little, "A water painting."

"Why did you laugh?"

"I'm sorry, Zim…. But your expressions are funny."

"Really?"

She nodded, "What about you?"

"Maybe a sculpture."

"Cool."

XXXX

Once class was over, Nira placed her stuff back inside her book bag and rose from her seat. Zim was already out of his seat, now he was just waiting for the girl so they could leave the classroom. He looked around the room and noticed how Mark was still inside and was glaring at them. The bully seemed extremely angry and was obviously not going to leave them alone.

Growing tired of him, Zim walked towards Mark and locked gazes with him. "What is your problem?"

"I don't know who you think you are, punk! No one ignores me!"

Zim gave him a bored look, "I'm sorry, what?"

The bully's eyes grew. He grabbed Zim's collar and pulled him, "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

The Irken gave him a cruel and cold glare, "No, earth-smell. It is you who doesn't know who he's dealing with. Listen carefully, I will not repeat myself. Leave us alone or I will eliminate you down to your last cell… and once I'm done with you, no one will remember you even existed."

Mark released him. Fear was written in his eyes, he could feel a shiver going down his spine as he looked into Zim's eyes. There was something in them… something dark and evil.

Moments later the Irken and the human girl left the classroom, leaving the bully frozen in his spot.

"What did you tell him?" Nira asked.

"Stuff."

Nira shook her head, "Well, I'm leaving. See you tomorrow?"

Zim nodded, "Yeah."

****Oook… how was it? Was it good? I hope so… well, thanks for reading!****


	5. Chapter 5: Alike in Someway

****Note: Mmk, soo… I hope you guys like the cover page (if you saw it)…. And I'm still happy people like this story. Thank you!**

**Chapter 5—Enjoy! **

**Chapter 5: Alike in Someway**

Zim calmly walked to the student center. His next class wasn't until twelve, so he had two hours to spare. He sat down at a corner table and opened his Chemistry book. He pretends to read it, when in reality his mind was elsewhere. He was remembering Irk, the home planet he was banned from and the place he missed the most. He also remembered his leaders, Tallest Red and Tallest Purple… he wasn't sure if they continued to live, it had been years since he last saw them. He let out a sigh, as he remembered that there had been a time when he might have looked up to them… but now, thinking of them made his stomach turn and his blood boil with hate. He hated them with a passion… he hated them more than he hated Dib…

"Hi, Zim…"

The Irken was caught by surprise by the sound of a female voice. He looked up and saw a smiling human girl… and she was the same human girl he had seen with Nira the day before. "Um… hello…"

"Can I join you?"

"I guess…"

Kate pulled a chair and sat across from Zim. She sat her bag on the floor next to her and looked at Zim firmly. Zim began to look around as he noticed the girl's weird stare, "What?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"I rather you didn't."

Kate took in a deep breath, "Why are you green?"

She had asked anyway.

Zim let out an aggravated sigh and crossed his arms, "It's a skin condition."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"You know, it's rude to ask personal questions when you haven't introduced yourself."

She blinked twice before touching her forehead and shook her head. She smiled, "Right… I'm Kate."

"Zim."

Kate gave him a nod then looked at the book he was reading, "Are you studying?"

"No."

"Then why is your book open?"

"I was reading it."

Kate rolled her eyes, "But why?"

"It's interesting."

"Wow. You must like science."

"I do."

Zim was amazed at the fact he wasn't vey annoyed with the human's company. He had been on earth for a few days now, surrounded by humans most of the time and they all annoyed him. All but Nira, she was above the 'okay' level. "Kate, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How well do you know Nira?"

That caught her by surprise. She gave him a confused look; she was curious why he had asked that.

"Well enough… we've been friends for a long time."

"I see…"

"Why?"

Zim closed his book, "She has been nice to Zim, even though she doesn't know him."

Kate gave him a smile, "That's Nira's personality. She's nice to people she believes are good."

"Really?"

"Yep."

The Irken began to tap on the table, "Could you tell me a bit about her?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

"I want to hear your version."

"Oh."

This was new.

Kate rested back on her seat and locked eyes with Zim. Why did he want to know more about Nira? What were his intentions?

"I'm not going to hurt her or…. What's that you call it… um… stalk her. If that's what you're thinking."

She let out a sigh of relief, "Well, it's a long story."

"I have two hours."

Kate laughed and Zim rolled his eyes. He didn't know what he had said that seemed to be so amusing to the human girl but he decided to be calm and waited patiently. Once Kate stopped laughing, she began to tell Zim about Nira.

XXXX

Nira had finally finished fixing her apartment and now she wanted to rest. She walked towards the living room, sat down on her couch, and rested back letting out a long sigh. All she had left to do now was throw the empty boxes away or place them in the closet.

Letting out a yawn, she began to doze off. Her eyes were nearly closed when the phone rang. Nira opened her left eye and looked at the phone that rested on a small table by the door. She thought of ignoring it but the ringing seemed to get louder and didn't seem to end; she let out a sigh, got up and walked towards the phone. As she picked up, she couldn't help but to let out a yawn, "Hm…?"

_"Hello? Nira?" a man's voice said._

Nira remained silent for a moment. She didn't want to hang up but she didn't want to talk to him either.

_"Hello?"_

She took in a deep breath, "H-Hello, dad."

XXXX

"And just recently, her dad kicked her out."

"Kicked out? What do you mean?"

Kate began to move her hand in circles, "You know… when you're… um… banned from a place."

"You mean… she can't go back?"

Kate nodded, "Pretty much…"

The Irken rested back and crossed his arms, "Why?"

Kate shrugged, "My guess is that she had problems with her step-mom."

"Step-mom? What is that?"

Kate gave him a very surprised look, "Um… it's like a substitute parent."

"There's such thing?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh, "Yes… my guess is that your parents are still together?"

He looked away, "I don't have parents."

Kate looked down at her hands, "Oh… I'm sorry…"

Zim just shrugged, "Its fine. I had… um… 'family members' raise me."

"That's good. You live with them?"

"No."

"Do you have any contact with them?"

Zim shook his head, "They don't know where I am."

Kate let out a gasp, "You ran away?"

He looked at her, his eyes full of rage. "NO! THEY LIED AND BANNED ME!"

The student center became silent; the students that were in there looked over at Zim and Kate, wondering what they had been talking about. Kate was speechless, she felt sorry for Zim… and she wondered why they had done that.

Zim looked around and glared at the humans that were staring at them, "WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT? MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

Kate flinched and so did all the other students. Zim just shook his head and looked up at the clock, "I have to go." He rose from his chair.

Kate gave him a puzzled look, "You still have an hour left."

"I'm not feeling good. I'm going home."

Kate didn't argue with him, she just gave him a nod and watched him walk out of the student center.

XXXX

_"Do you need anything?"_

"No."

There was a long pause.

Nira could hear her father's breathing; she could tell he was containing himself from crying. _"Are you sure?"_

"Yes."

_ "Nira… I'm sorry."_

She clinched her fist, "For kicking me out or for believing a stranger instead of your own daughter?"

_"She's not a stranger, she's—"_

"Yes, I know." She interrupted, "She's your new wife and all…. Why did you call?"

_"I just wanted to tell you that if you are in need of anything… just tell me."_

'_I'm in need of a father…' _She thought. "Nothing now…. Bye."

She hung up and returned to the couch. She could feel tears on the back of her eyes but she refused to let them out. Her neck then began to itch again; she got up and walked towards her room. She was sure she had a First Aid Kit and that it had some antibiotic cream. She looked through it and finally found it. She then went to the bathroom and applied the cream.

Nira bit her lower lip.

It burned a little but she hoped it would heal soon. After applying it, she returned to the couch and laid on it.

XXXX

"GIR, I'm home."

The little SIR Unit was sitting on the couch watching a human cartoon. After Zim closed the door behind him, GIR looked in his direction and gave him a big smile, "HI!"

"What are you doing?"

"Watching TV!"

Zim rolled his eyes. "You want to go for a walk?"

"YAAAAY!"

"Put your disguise on."

The little robot saluted, "Yes, sir!"

As soon as GIR was in his green dog costume, Zim put the leash on him and the two of them walked out. Zim looked up, the clouds were grey. He frowned, wanting to return inside but chose not to. The pain the rain could give him was nothing compared to the pain he felt as he remembered the Tallest and his exile from his home planet.

****Oook. So how was it?****


	6. Chapter 6: Bonding

****Note: Hmm… I hope I'm doing a good job on this story….**

**Chapter 6—Enjoy! ^_^**

**Chapter 6: Bonding**

_"Sure I can. I'll pass by to pick up my car and then head to the grocery store. I have to get some things as well, so I might take a while." Kate said through the phone._

Nira walked towards the living room, "Okay. Thanks Kate!"

_"No problem." She hung up._

Nira placed the phone back in its holder and walked towards the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She didn't know why she did it; she knew there was hardly any food inside. Letting out a sigh she took out a bottle of water and drank from it.

XXXX

Out on the streets, the sky began to get a bit darker by the minute and the wind began to blow softly. Walking on the streets without a care in the world was Zim and GIR. The Irken had taken the leash off his small SIR Unit and allowed him to run free.

GIR was happily running around, squealing, and jumping into the remaining puddles at times. As for Zim, he walked around the puddles and managed to dodge GIR's splashes. "GIR! Enough!"

The little robot stopped before jumping into yet another puddle. He turned around and looked at his master with a concerned look, "Master, why are you sad?"

"…." Zim crossed his arms and looked away, "I'm just remembering."

GIR walked towards him, "What?"

"Irk."

"Aw, don't be sad, master. I know what'll make you feel better."

Zim gave him a puzzled look, "Huh?"

The little robot waved his arms rapidly, "Waffles! Tasty waffles!"

Zim's right eye began to twitch.

GIR just looked up at him and gave him a smile.

After a while, the Irken's annoyed expression slowly changed to a sweet and caring expression. He knew what GIR was trying to do and he really appreciated it. If anything, he could say—and he dared to say, GIR was the only one he could consider family.

"Thanks, GIR… but maybe later."

"Ookie dookie…"

Zim gave him a nod then looked around. His arms dropped and hanged from his sides, he then rubbed the back of his head with his left arm, "Um, GIR… where exactly are we?"

XXXX

"You're out early."

Kate just shrugged, "My last class was cancelled at the last minute."

"Fun."

"So, what do you need me to get?"

Nira reached into her back pocket and brought out a note. "This is the list."

Kate took it and opened it. She scanned through it, "Veggie-head…"

Nira chuckled and reached into her front left pocket, "And here's the money."

"Okay. I'm going to pick up some things as well so I might take a while."

"Okay."

Kate gives her a small nod and leaves. Nira closed the door and returned to the couch. She sat there, looking down at her feet. She felt a knot in her throat and an immense pain in her chest… the conversation with her father had affected her emotionally. Her art mid-term was in two months and she needed to think of something to paint. A few more seconds passed before Nira rose from the couch and walked to her room.

XXXX

Outside, the small SIR Unit was screaming his head off and running around in circles while Zim was trying his best to recognize the surroundings but couldn't concentrate due to the screams of GIR. He looked down at his small robot with an annoyed glare but before he could say anything, the Irken let out a hiss of pain as a raindrop landed on the back of his neck.

He rubbed his neck lightly with his left hand and looked up. The clouds had turned darker and the wind was blowing colder. A storm was coming… and he would be in the middle of it.

Zim looked at his SIR Unit, "GIR!"

The little robot stopped and saluted, "Yes, sir?"

"We need to get home quickly or find a place to stay before the rain starts."

"Why?"

"Because GIR…. I'm allergic to earth water."

"Right!" GIR replied in a high pitch voice.

They proceeded to walk but soon the rain began to fall and Zim began to feel an extremely painful burn on his body. Still, he continued to walk, biting his lower lip and did his best to not give in to the pain.

GIR on the other hand, was oblivious to the pain his master was going through. He just walked happily beside him moving his head to the sides humming the Doom Song. Then, as they walked around a corner, the little green dog took a hold of his master's hand. That sudden action surprised Zim and made him look down at his little robot. As random and as weird GIR was, this was very surprising… he had never shown any signs of affection other than randomly jumping on his head and hugging him.

The Irken then stopped and fell to his knees. The pain was now unbearable and his limbs refused to move. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to make his body move, only it didn't.

GIR then began to pull desperately his master's arm, "Master! We have to keep going!"

"I can't, GIR… it hurts too much…" Zim said in between painful gasps.

"What do I do? What do I do?!" GIR cried desperately.

Zim didn't reply. By now he was in too much pain to even speak… with the last bit of strength he had left, he managed to look up. In the distance, he managed to see a black car and a girl walking out of it with bags in her hands. He then saw her walk up some steps and knock on a door. She wasn't that far away so he could hear her speak, "Nira! Open up!"

Nira…

"GIR… once that girl leaves… go to that house… and tell Nira… I…"

He couldn't finish. The pain finally got the best of him and knocked him unconscious. Tears began to emerge from the little robot's eyes as he saw his master on the ground. He looked back and saw the girl his master had talked about.

Once that girl left, GIR ran to the house and began to knock on the door desperately. "Kate? You forget something?" Nira called.

There was no answer, but the knocks began to get louder.

"I'm coming! Gosh, Kate," She opened the door, "what…"

Once the door was open, Nira was surprised to see a small green dog at her steps, "A dog?"

"Are you Nira?"

Her eyes grew, "Y-yeah…"

"My master needs help!" GIR said pointing to the spot where Zim was, "He's in so much pain he fainted!"

Nira looked out; her eyes grew when she saw Zim lying on the concrete ground. Without second thought, Nira ran out to aid Zim. GIR was right behind her as she approached him.

"Zim! ZIM!"

There was no movement or response. She managed to pull his right arm over her shoulder and stand up. To her surprise, Zim was very light… as if he hadn't eaten in days. Once she had a good grip of him, she began to walk back to her apartment.

Once inside, GIR closed the door behind them and Nira placed Zim on the couch. The Irken still remained unconscious and his body looked burnt.

Nira walked into the bathroom and brought out a towel. She gave it to the small dog and told him to dry Zim. The SIR Unit saluted and took the towel from her. She then walked to her room and closed the door.

XXXX

Zim woke up ten minutes later. His body ached a little but he no longer felt the burning sensation. He took a moment to look around, it wasn't his house… so where was he? His thoughts were soon interrupted by the squeal of his SIR Unit. "You're alive!"

The Irken sat up, "Of course I am… mgh…"

"Are you okay, Zim?"

He looked up, "Nira?"

The human girl walked towards them and sat on the table that rested in front of the couch. "You're still soaked."

"I'll live…"

She gave him a worried look, "You scared me… seeing you unconscious on the ground… what happened?"

Zim crossed his arms, "Why so worried about Zim?"

Her eyes widened and looked at him in disbelief, "We're friends… right?"

"…. I guess."

"So what happen?"

"It's just an allergic reaction."

Nira gave him a puzzled look, "You're allergic to water?"

"Just earth water."

GIR then walked over to Nira and returned the towel, "Here ya go!"

"Thanks…" Nira said as she took the towel.

Zim the looked down at his SIR Unit, "GIR, remove your costume before the water gets to your brains!"

"Ookie dookie…"

"Uh, could I use the towel?"

"Sure." She handed it to him.

GIR began to remove his costume, and Nira let out a soft sigh of relief as she noticed the "dog" wasn't in fact a dog, but a small robot. "Zim?"

"Hm?"

"If you're allergic to earth water why are you here?"

Zim looked away, "For the same reason you live here and not with your father."

Her eyes widen, "H-How do you know about that?"

"Kate told me."

Nira crossed her arms and looked away, "Great…"

Zim placed the towel on his head and began to dry his wig, being careful not to accidentally taking it off. "She hesitated too… she thought I might hurt you or stalk you if she told me about you."

She looked at him, "Why did you ask her?"

"I was just curious as of why you were nice to me…"

"You could've asked me."

"I wanted to hear it from her." He removed the towel from his head and returned it to Nira.

She took the towel from him and remained silent for a while, "Please… don't tell anyone about that…"

"I won't. I know how you feel."

"I doubt it…"

The Irken crossed his arms, "I do. You see, I… was banned from my home planet."

****Soo… how was it? I hope it was good! BTW! A friend suggested that the All Mighty Tallest should come in and that there should be a little romance between Zim and Nira (I'm usually not used to Zim x OCs but I want to know YOUR opinion.) What do you guys think? Be honest please!**


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